Organized thematically around important questions in comparative politics, Introducing Comparative Politics, Fourth Edition by Stephen Orvis and Carol Ann Drogus integrates a set of extended case studies of 11 core countries into the narrative. Serving as touchstones, the cases are set in chapters where they make the most sense topically—not separated from theory or in a separate volume—and vividly illustrate issues in cross-national context. The book’s organization allows instructors flexibility and gives students a more accurate sense of comparative study. In this edition, a brand new chapter on Contentious Politics covers ethnic fragmentation, social movements, civil war, revolutions, and political violence. New case studies on this topic include the Occupy and Tea Party movements in the US; Zapatista rebellion in Mexico; Boko Haram in Nigeria; and; and revolutions in China and Iran. The chapter on States and Identity has been substantially revised to better introduce students to the concept of identity and how countries handle identity-based demands. Case studies include nationalism in Germany; ethnicity in Nigeria; religion in India; race in the US; gender in Iran; and sexual orientation in Brazil. Content on states and markets, political economy, globalization, and development has all been consolidated into a new Part III of the book, focusing in a sustained way on economic issues.

Have you been tempted to teach your intro course thematically, but are afraid that your students will be unable to see how concepts relate to actual countries? Yet sticking with a country by-country approach means never being able to fully address the questions that really engage comparativists. But that has its drawbacks as well. Is there an ideal middle ground between the current text approaches to the field? Carol Ann Drogus and Stephen Orvis, a Latin Americanist and an Africanist by training, offer an innovative hybrid approach to the field. The book is organized thematically around important concepts in comparative politics; in turn, each chapter is framed by the questions of who rules?, what motivates political behavior?, and where and why? Then, within each chapter, the authors have integrated a set of extended case studies based on a selection of ten "core" countries. Serving as consistent geographic touchstones, students get to know these countries as they accumulate conceptual knowledge. The cases are placed in chapters where they make the most sense substantively--not separated from theory or in a separate volume--and vividly illustrate issues in cross-national context. An array of thematic features extends the book's analysis and effectively integrates case material: -Case Studies Forming the backbone of country coverage, these "baseline" cases are substantial enough for students to build foundational knowledge about the ten core countries of Brazil, China, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. Because each case is tied to an analytic question or idea, students aren't lost in a sea of detail, but rather see country coverage in real thematic context. -Mini-cases Because no group of core countries can illustrate the full scope of issues in comparative politics, the authors include "mini-cases" throughout the book. These briefer cases focus on topics such as state failure, ethnic violence, and economic differences and feature countries about which most other texts say very little: Afghanistan, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Kenya, the Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, and others. -In Context These short fact lists--like those students might find in an opinion-leader periodical such as Harper's--take simple data and put them into interesting, often provocative context. The number of military coups in Africa versus Latin America or the change over time in the number of one-party states might surprise students and offer enlightening perspective for thinking through an issue. -Where and Why? In these boxes, students explore why certain events and developments happen in some countries and not in others. Why have some countries been able to develop enduring democratic governments, while others remain or become authoritarian? Or, why do some states have women in powerful political positions while others do not? -Country and Concept The majority of chapters include a table that shows key indicators for the core countries. For instance, in the chapter on the modern state, the authors include such data as each state's year of establishment, its failed state ranking, its government revenue as percentage of GDP, and its rating on the corruption perception index--all important measures of each state's size and nature. Helping students critically read as well as review and study: * Chapter-opener questions * Bolded key terms and glossary * Data-rich tables and figures * Substantive maps * Compelling and instructive photos * End-of-chapter lists that include key concepts, work cited, seminal books and articles, and important online databases

This dynamic new Interactive eBook version of the Third Edition of Stephen Orvis and Carol Ann Drogus's bestselling text, Introduction to Comparative Politics is ideal for students in online and traditional courses who prefer a more contemporary, multimedia-integrated presentation for learning. It provides students with integrated links to engaging video and audio as well as access to complete academic and professional articles, all from the same pages found in the printed text. Students will also have immediate access to study tools such as highlighting, bookmarking, note-taking, and more!

Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again! Virtually all of the testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events from the textbook are included. Cram101 Just the FACTS101 studyguides give all of the outlines, highlights, notes, and quizzes for your textbook with optional online comprehensive practice tests. Only Cram101 is Textbook Specific. Accompanys: 9780872893436 .

Explores the importance of comparative politics, discusses different comparative methods, investigates the big issues of today and looks forward to the key challenges for comparative politics over the next century.

This book provides a distinctive new introduction to the study of comparative politics at undergraduate level. Rich in case study material and global in coverage, Comparative Politics sets out the basic theoretical and methodological foundations for studying different political systems as well as the key structures and actors of which they are comprised.

An engaging and accessible introduction to the subject, Comparative Politics: Integrating Theories, Methods, and Cases gives students the methogological tools they need to answer the "big questions" in the field.

This new textbook provides an authoritative analysis of Comparative Political Economy and how it can help us to understand the global capitalist marketplace in the 21st century in all its variant forms. The author provides broad-ranging empirical examples throughout and relates classical concerns to current international affairs.

Building on a survey of media institutions in eighteen West European and North American democracies, Hallin and Mancini identify the principal dimensions of variation in media systems and the political variables which have shaped their evolution. They go on to identify three major models of media system development (the Polarized Pluralist, Democratic Corporatist and Liberal models) to explain why the media have played a different role in politics in each of these systems, and to explore the forces of change that are currently transforming them. It provides a key theoretical statement about the relation between media and political systems, a key statement about the methodology of comparative analysis in political communication and a clear overview of the variety of media institutions that have developed in the West, understood within their political and historical context.

This text offers a unique balance of comparative politics theory and interdisciplinary country-specific context, of a thematic organization and in-depth country case studies, of culture and economics, of scholarship and pedagogy. No other textbook draws on such a diverse range of scholarly literature to help students understand the ins and outs of politics in Latin America today. The insightful historical background in early chapters provides students with a way to think about how the past influences the present. However, while history plays a part in this text, comparative politics is the primary focus, explaining through detailed case studies and carefully paced analysis such concepts as democratic breakdown and transition, formal and informal institutions, the rule of law, and the impact of globalization. Concepts and theories from comparative politics are well integrated into country-specific narratives and vice versa, leading to a richer understanding of both. Several important pedagogical aids foster student learning: Learning objectives at the start of every chapter "Learning checkpoints" interspersed in chapters to ensure comprehension Bolded key terms focus attention on important concepts Glossary at the end of the book provides a useful reference Discussion questions at the end of each chapter Integrated case studies on most countries in the region A companion website with practice quizzes and other useful study aids.

'Editors Landman and Robinson have compiled an excellent tour d'horizon of comparative politics. Distinguished contributors explore theoretical and methodological issues as well as examine the critical substantive domains that animate today's comparativists. Graduate students and academics will want to keep this volume on their book shelf' - Professor Mark Irving Lichbach, University of Maryland 'The SAGE Handbook of Comparative Politics is a major new resource for scholars of comparative politics, and of political science more generally. The Handbook covers the field with admirable thoroughness, but does not sacrifice depth for breadth. The chapters are written by notable scholars who provide rich discussions of their topics, and help to move the sub-discipline forward' - B. Guy Peters, Professor, University of Pittsburgh The SAGE Handbook of Comparative Politics presents; in one volume, an authoritative overview of the theoretical, methodological and substantive elements of comparative political science. The 28 specially commissioned chapters, written by renowned comparative scholars, guide the reader through the central issues and debates, presenting a state-of-the-art guide to the past, present and possible futures of the field. The Handbook is divided into three parts. The first considers comparative methodologies and reviews the interactions between various sub-fields of comparative politics: political economy; political sociology; area studies; international relations; and institutional analysis. The second section examines nine 'classic' issues of concern to comparativists, including government formation, political behaviour and democratization. In the final section, nine new and emerging areas of comparative research are considered, such as terrorism, electoral corruption, human rights and regional integration. The SAGE Handbook of Comparative Politics is an essential resource for researchers in political science, political sociology, political economy, international relations, area studies and all other fields with a comparative political dimension.

This brief, lively, and well-written textbook is intended for upper-level classes on comparative politics where several small studies are used instead of one large text. Appropriate course titles are Introduction to Comparative Politics, Politics of Developing Areas, World Politics, and Comparative Development, all found in the political science department. The book is designed to motivate student interest by focusing on current trends, issues, and controversies. It introduces students to the field, traces the history and development of comparative politics, assesses the newer approaches to the field in sequential and systematic fashion, and takes account of recent events.

This volume has been designed as a key resource in the field of international political leadership research. Written by a team of distinguished leadership scholars from three continents and nine countries, the original chapters gathered in this volume cover all the major fields of political leadership, from executive, legislative and party leadership to leadership in social movements and international organizations. The special value and appeal of this book relates to its genuinely comparative focus that characterizes all chapters.

Compact and jargon-free, this book focuses on the major issues and themes of comparative politics. It limits its focus to ten major countries so readers won't be overwhelmed by excessive details. Democratization and globalization. Political issues and changes in developing countries. Alternative institutional frameworks. The effects of socioeconomic cleavages. Non-western cultures and values. Electoral systems. New directions in comparative research. For anyone wanting a readable introduction to comparative politics and a broader understanding of world politics.
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